Daily Times

LARKANA: The Tower of Kennedy Market, taken over by the Z A Bhutto Trust in 1988, has been in shabby condition for a long time.

The then-Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, laid the foundation stone of Kennedy Market on August 29, 1963 and in the same year, as many as 38 shops, flats and a campanile (Ghanta Ghar) was also constructed.

During the 1960s, as many as 18 shops were destroyed in the Shahi Bazaar due to a sudden fire which caused great loss to shop owners. Bhutto appealed to world leaders to help towards the reconstruction of the market and the global community responded. The largest amount was paid by the then-President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, that contributed towards the reconstruction of the shops as well as a compensation awarded to the shop owners for their losses. Even then, some funds were left over which were utilized for the construction of a market opposite the Shahi Bazaar, named ‘Kennedy Market’. As many as 38 shops and flats were also constructed and, in the center of the market, a beautiful campanile was also built.

A board was constituted to run the market and included members such as Maulana Jan Muhammad Abbasi, Abdul Razak Soomro, Chakar Ali Junejo, Dr. Begum Ashraf Abbasi, and others. The board was responsible for giving scholarships to poor students from the income of the market property and providing sewing machines to widows, but in 1977 the market was handed over to the Larkana municipality by Col. Mehdi during the General Zia era after he toppled the Bhutto government. They put all the shops on a meager monthly rent, and in 1988 when Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was elected the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Z. A. Bhutto Trust was reconstituted and the market was handed over to them. Begum Nusrat Bhutto was its chairperson and again, a board was formed which included members such as Dr. Ashraf Abbasi, Abdul Razak Soomro, Ghulamullah Mahotto and others. After the 1993 election, Benazir Bhutto became its chairperson.

After 1988, offices of the PPP and its other wings were established in the market. In 1995 PPP-Shaheed Bhutto also established its office there. This market has also the office of Larkana Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The Secretary of Z. A. Bhutto Trust and MNA Ayaz Soomro informed the media in Larkana on Monday that offices of different parties are working in the Kennedy Market, paying a very meager monthly rent (sometimes not paying rent amount at all). The shopkeeper’s rent is also very negligible. He hoped that the repair work of the historical tower will soon be initiated for which preparations are underway.